Meaningful goals are easy to set but much harder to achieve!
Brain science shows us that willpower is cognitively costly. When we set goals, we feel satisfied and optimistic. Unfortunately, those feelings can dissolve into guilt or shame when our goals are unmet.
For successful goal setting, here are some strategies to consider:
1. Be the architect of your own environment. Whether you are trying to lose weight or avoid workplace gossip, using willpower alone drains our brains. Research shows that people who are perceived as having a lot of willpower may just be better at not using willpower in the first place! They don’t buy the pint of Chunky Monkey Chocolate Swirl ice cream and so avoid the temptation of looking at the icy deliciousness every time they open the freezer door. If they want to cut back on social media use and avoid the rabbit hole of comparing reality to someone else’s unachievable perfectly curated life, they put their phone in another room. Our environments are powerful and can either hijack or support us. People who appear to have strong willpower may just be better at creating a better, more supportive environment!
2. Use a pre-commitment strategy. When setting goals, people rarely ask themselves, “What roadblocks are going to trip me up?” Having a plan in place for obstacles is essential to fulfilling long-term goals. By having a pre-commitment strategy, you give your brain the beautiful gift of being at ease when faced with challenging circumstances.
Psychologist Gabriele Oettingen, who researches how people think about the future and how those thoughts affect their behavior, has created what she calls the WOOP methodology. WOOP involves asking yourself four questions:
1. Wish: What is a wish I have for myself that is significant, challenging, and yet doable?
2. Outcome: What feeling will I receive from accomplishing my wish?
3. Obstacle: What is inside of myself that will hold me back?
4. Plan: What behaviors or thoughts can I do when I come across that roadblock? How can I use this awareness to create an actionable “if/then” plan?
Using the WOOP method has been found to improve grades, create better relationships, increase workplace engagement, and has helped many develop better health habits. (More useful information can be found at her website woopmylife.org.)
As with any other strategy, one of the major contributors to success is developing a precommitment strategy that involves asking yourself hard questions. What helped you succeed in the past? What behaviors do you tend to engage in that sabotage your goals? What can you do differently this time? What is the story you are telling yourself about your goal – is it “too hard and I am destined to fail,” or “I can achieve hard things with persistence and patience?”
Having a pre-commitment strategy can help you create successful outcomes where your wishes become reality.
